SOCCER/English Premiership/Charlton 0 Tottenham 2:Charlton's traumatic season has culminated in relegation to the Championship. After being ever-present in the Premiership since 2000, the last rites on the club's top-flight status were administered at The Valley last night by a former player in Jermain Defoe, who scored Tottenham's second goal as the game entered stoppage time and in the process took his own team to the brink of a place in next season's Uefa Cup.
It has been ironic that Alan Curbishley - the man who made Charlton a Premiership force - should indirectly play such a significant part in this relegation. After 15 years as manager, Curbishley, who twice guided Charlton into the Premiership, was always going to be a hard act to follow.
A partial improvement in form under Alan Pardew - the club's third manager of the season - has ultimately been rendered irrelevant, in part by Curbishley's recent impact with West Ham.
Pardew has indicated that he intends to remain with Charlton for the long haul and has already argued that relegation should not be treated as the disaster that an immediate annual difference in revenue of around £30 million might suggest. S
ignificant changes in the playing squad, however, are almost inevitable. The on-loan goalkeeper Scott Carson now returns to Liverpool, while the England internationals Luke Young and Darren Bent are likely to seek a bigger stage.
It took just seven minutes for Dimitar Berbatov Berbatov to stamp his quality on the match. A hopeful long-ball had been pumped forward by Ricardo Rocha which should have been dealt with by Talal El Karkouri. Berbatov, though, managed to get in front of the Charlton defender and Carson was powerless to prevent the Bulgarian's calm side-footed finish.
As Charlton pushed forward Spurs broke to illustrate the quality which the Addicks have so badly missed this season, Defoe scoring from the edge of the area with a brilliant drive.
Guardian Service
CHARLTON: Carson, Young, El Karkouri, Diawara, Hreidarsson, Zheng (Hughes 84), Holland, Song Billong (Sam 71), Ambrose, Marcus Bent (Hasselbaink 71), Darren Bent. Subs Not Used: Randolph, Bougherra.
TOTTENHAM: Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, King, Rocha (Gardner 46), Lennon (Malbranque 60), Zokora, Jenas, Tainio, Keane (Defoe 84), Berbatov. Subs Not Used: Cerny, Huddlestone. Goals: Berbatov 7, Defoe 90.
Referee: G Poll (Hertfordshire).
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